Thursday, January 5, 2017

My 2017 resolutions.

If you've been around here a while, you'll know that I like to make resolutions every year. Even though I'm not the greatest at keeping them. :) There's just something really nice and exciting about a new year that makes me want to do better! I used to make huge, overwhelming lists of resolutions, but by this point, I've found that it works better for me to make smaller, more specific lists.

Bookish:-Read 60 books. I think this is a good number for me. But if I read more, obviously I'll be okay with that, too. :)-Get my own-but-unread books down to 100. This will definitely be a struggle for me because I love books and I love to buy books. (Cheap ones, which I can justify, but hello, they still take up the same amount of space on my shelves.) I currently own about 150 books that I haven't read yet (yes, it's ridiculous). So theoretically I could get the number down to 100 this year, while still allowing for a few rereads or new purchases.-Read 5 new-to-me classics. I did this goal in 2015 and really enjoyed it...those five books were among my favorites of that year. I do have a few older books that I'd like to read for this goal, but modern classics definitely count, too.-Read a really big book. I want to pick one that I've been putting off because it's so long. I don't know which it'll be yet, but I'm learning towards East of Eden or Middlemarch. (Either of those would count towards reading a classic too, ha.)

Yarn: -Knit myself two sweaters. Sweaters are the one area lacking when it comes to things I've knitted for myself. -Do more natural dyeing. I did so much in 2015, but last year I was very unprepared. And with natural dyeing, you have to be ready whenever the plants are ready!-Learn the basics of weaving. On my little, basic lap loom.-Be prepared. This just means not waiting until the last minute to knit craft fair inventory, gifts, etc. I need to plan ahead.-Spin yarn from my own sheep and knit something with it. If all goes as planned, my sheep will be sheared this spring. I'd love to have a finished project knitted from their fiber by the end of the year!

Sewing:-Sew a new quilt for my bed. Carrying this one over from last year. I want to use up most of my random fabric scraps.-Start sewing a pair of jeans. I will count any bit of progress towards this goal, even if I just print out and assemble the pattern (it's a PDF)! Any little step towards sewing my own jeans will make me happy.

Well, this list was a little longer than I expected. :) I do have two other goals that don't fit into the above categories. I want to learn how to cook. For some reason, cooking is super intimidating to me. (Plus I'm a klutz- knives and ovens make me nervous.) I also want to continue saving money. I managed to save $1500 last year, which I'm very proud of! I know it might not sound like much, but on a babysitter's salary, it's quite a bit for me. :)

Those are great goals! I especially love the big book goal - big books are just so good. :) My experiences with Middlemarch and East of Eden were both enjoyable, so I don't think that you could go wrong with either one. One of my book-related goals for this year is to reread The Count of Monte Cristo, which I love, but always put off rereading because it'll take a long time to finish- such a silly reason, when I know I'll enjoy every minute. :)

Sewing a pair of jeans sounds incredibly intimidating. That would be such an accomplishment!

Good luck with your cooking venture! It's a very useful skill, even if you never grow to love it. :)

I think reading The Count of Monte Cristo once is quite a feat...I'm in awe of you doing it twice. :) It sounds intimidating to me too! I've made almost every other component of my wardrobe except jeans. That's what I'm afraid of, that I'll never grow to love cooking! I don't think it's something that will come naturally to me.

Thanks for your offer! I want to learn some basics from my mom's recipes, but then I'll probably start venturing out. :) I'm not really sure what to tell you about the reading challenge button. I just copied the code for the widget from Goodreads (under the widgets tab in my account), and then pasted it in that section of the layout of my blog. I've had the button in that same spot for several years, so I just copy and paste the new code each year. Hope that helps!

Ooh an exciting list and your two big books are two of my favourite books ever. Read both! I aim to read my own heap of unread books this year. And some non fiction books. Imagine being able to use wool from your own sheep, that is so cool. Enjoy your year.